The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1887-06-01
OUR onURoHEs ON SUNDAY.
MtTHODIST...REY. j. Waller DANIEL pas1op
Morniny Sermon.
st, Iolln. X. A.

| H#". .-IH
st. John, X. d..
And when he putteh forth his own
sheep. he goeth before them, and the
shccp follow him. for they know his
There are tour very comforting and
edifying lessons taught us in the text,
Isl. II the sheep are put forth into
the darhneSs. by Christ,
"a. Ihat Christ goes before them.
ga. That His sheep follow Him.
Ana the fourth lesson gives us the
cause OF this active obedience on their
part. tor they know his voice"
! nc tilhc Tor pasturing sheep was du.
ring the night. This is confirmed bv
me observation ot travellers, as well as
ny inc Scriptures. The angels that an
%nounccd the birth of Christ did so al
night as the shepherds watched their
flocks.
Night relative to the bodily safety and
preservation OF the sheep was the most
dangerous time that could be chosen, for
under the cover Of darkness the wild an
imals attacked the flocks, and the thief
had the more favorable opportunity to
execute his work.
The question therefore arises. WIN
was the night chosen as the time Tor
leading forth tho flocks to their pas
lures" The answer is satisfactory: be-
cause It was OF absolute necessity, the
climate being such that night was the
only available time for this work.
Clouds Of high doctrines, deep myste.
ries e%ncircle the Bible and our God
Darkness overshadows our pathway.
We have. amid these scenes OF darkness
heard the stcaltiiy step, bchcld The
%crouching form. felt the quick hot breath.
and looked upon the glazing cye.baIls OF
the great enemy OF souls. Troubles
multiplied. We almost sunk bcneath
fear and sorrow. Then we have looked
up at these clouds and have seen
coruscations OF divine light play and
glitter upon their dark forms and then
we have know that the Son was beyond
them and like Moses we have ielt en-.
couraged to step forth into the thick
cloud where God is.
Sometimes we have wondered why
we are called to walk these dark NAH
ways. We have cnvied the chariot and
horsemen OF the %enraptured prophet.
We have wished for a translation ike
Enoch's. Then there has come to us "a
still small voice" like that which came to
the hiding prophet after his soul had
been tried by the wind, the lire and the
earthquake, and we have felt that God is
with us. and that all is we'll.
God leads by the right way, though
it may be frequently a way Of darkness
and trial. He leads by that eternal wav
OF divinc strength made perfect in hu.
man weakness.
lllust. We have walked 10 our earth.
~ homes in the darkness, the shadows
Of walls. fences. trees. have interlaced
themselves across our pathway. Not a
star lent its twinkling light. but one
thing vas dimIy visible, and that was
the pathway in which we walked but
when we reached the door OF our home.
and il was opened to us, the light stream
ed thcrefrom and lit up the pathway
which we had trod with Edden.like
splendor. So when ne Shall reach our
eternal home the glory OF Christ's coun.
tenancc. as he opens to us the gates OF
the eternal city Will illumine the pathway
we have trod, and We will know why He
hath led us so.
The second thought is hat Christ goes
before His sheep.
We are not called upon to travel an
untried path. but to follow our Shepherd.
The Redcemer when He came TO con.
quer the evil one, did not c.,me clad
with omniPotence that he might lay hold
OF his enemy and dcmolish him. Mel
Their did He come with the power Of the
Archangel to touch him with the spear,
but He came with the naked hands Of a
man TO grapple with the energy and de
mollsh him through human weakness
made perfect by a dependence upon di-
vine strength and protection.
God did not spare His own Son.
Worn with all that humanity can en-
durc, he struggled with fasting and
temptation on the mount. and met them
as u man with naked faith in His Father.
Weighed down. in the Garden, with
all the ftur and dark iorcbodings that
human flesh can bear He struggled with
the BLACK clouds Of despair. and held on
by the human strength OF patience.
Through the conqucring gates OF the
darkness OF death He went down. and
up through that darkness came the cry
Chou wilt not leave my soul in hell. o
suffer Thine Holy One to see corrup.
ton"
"He trod the wine press alone" and
thus taught us practically how 70 meet
every trial and difficulty.
His sheep follow Him.
Here is the touChstone Of all christian
endcavor. the cruciblc that tries the true
metal.
have been asked. frequently, what
harm is there in dancing? MOI thai